At least in defeat he hasn’t sent his team to kick and run

Published: 11 February 2010
THE CROW

IF you went to the press conferences, you would see first hand how half-sentences are snatched out of Arsene Wenger’s mouth and turned into page-long stories about how he’s a mad, old, bad, loser.

I was there at Chelsea.

He was actually quite complimentary about the home team’s efficiency and defensive qualities.

And – you know what?

He’s right when he says that when Arsenal pass the ball about and win everybody says he’s a genius, but when they do the same and lose, he’s a wacky professor. At least in defeat he hasn’t sent his team out to kick and run. 

Chelsea, without a league championship since Ashley Cole arrived and only three titles in 50-odd years, are devoid of any style. 

They just have the hoof of John Terry and the bullying muscle of Didier Drogba. 

I’d hate to watch that every week.

Yeah, well, “you’re not English any more”, shouted the Chelsea fans as the Arsenal supporters outsang them at the Bridge. 

Just before sitting down again to watch a striker from the Ivory Coast win the match for a team managed by an Italian and bankrolled by a Russian.
RICHARD OSLEY

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PROFESSOR Wenger’s lack of silverware in recent years is no accident. 

He has worked tirelessly to reduce his club’s chances of success and this year he’s got the formula right yet again.

First, he fields unnecessarily weak and inexperienced teams in the competitions Arsenal actually stand a chance of winning, cunningly belittling these with insulting team-sheets so the fans don’t feel aggrieved. “Who cares about the FA Cup?” Everyone does. 

Second, he pins all his hopes on the competitions the Gunners are unlikely to win and presently find that bigger, better, teams take great pleasure in crushing his dreams. Then, having come away from another season empty-handed, he spends the summer complaining that the clubs around him spend too much money.

What a gruelling cycle of disappointment!

For Spurs, we set our sights on winning anything. Surely this is the mark of true football purists. Barcelona won six trophies last season, Wenger’s only interested in two. For all his ideals, he’s selling the club short.

Harry Redknapp has dismantled and reassembled teams. It may not be the best approach, but at least he wants to win at all costs.
PIP WROE